Furnace for melting glass



(Nu Model.) aaneen-sneer 1 T. B. A'IFIERBURY..l l Furnace for/Melting Glass.` No. 240.638.

-Patentd April .26, |881- h l. .v I. H G n f f l r Il H l I Il l d I. n n.; .l l I V M Wwfn s H I l H H .U. .U 1 ,T .M .Nw .\.MN o \v\.\

mwN-MMU Y zsh nf-sn t2. mme T. B. ATTBRBURY. ees ee Furnace for Melting Glass` No.*2'4.o,'63 8. Patentedmprn 26,1831.

LWN@ \ww\\\\\\\w\\ wmf Unirse y STATES PATENT @Erica THOMAS lIB. ATTERBURY, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

FURNACE FOR MELTING GLASS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent` No. 240,638, dated April 26, 1881. Application filed March 26, 1881.. (No model.)

T 0 all whom it may concern: l

Beit known that I, THOMAS B. ATTERBURY, of Pittsburg, Vcounty of Allegheny, State `of Pennsylvania, have invented or discovered a new and useful Improvement in Furnaces for Melting Glass and for other Purposes; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, concise, and `exact description thereof, rcferencebein g had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specitication, in which-like letters indicating like parts- Figure 1, Sheet 1, isa front ceutralperspective view of my improved furnace, but with the left-hand end shown in longitudinal section in a plane immediately back of the front wall.` Fig. 2, Sheet 2, is a transverse sectional view inthe plane of the line a' w, Fig. l. Fig.3 is a likeview in the plane of the line w a', Fig.` 1, and Fig.4 is a like view in the plane of the line x2 m2, Fig. l. A

-My improved furnace is primarily designed` and organized for the melting of glass; but4 somefeatures of it are also applicable to fura naces designed for other uses wherein a high? heat is required to be developed or generated in or over a chamber, working-bed, oven, or` other space wherein any material to be heatedl or fluxed can be conveniently charged; but I willlrst describe its construction and opera tion as a4 glassmelting furnace. Thus considered, it belongs to the classof furnaces coinmonly known as tank-furnaces, in which the ordinary glass-pots are dispensed .with and the batchis charged directly into a taille-basin,` or laterally-inclosed but open-topped receptaf, cle, beneath an arch or roof, and whcrei'njitgjs subjected to the action of an intense heat api plied from above, somewhat asin the ordinary reverberatory furnace. In connection with such tanks or workingchambers I employ an improved construction of heat-generating apparatus, such as is adapted to give the temperature required for glass-melting purposes.

In the organization shown I employ, say, three working-chambers, of which `two are shown at B and B', and a third 011e, B2, of like construction, is immediately back of the wall, wherein `is shown, inFig. l, thelcharging and working hole D. The number of these` working-.chambers maybe varied at pleasure, and each one is to have a charging and working hole, D, or other suitable like openings, each of which is to be closed during the melting operation by a luted door or stopper, such as is Well known in the art. These workingchambers are arranged side by side, with intermediate partitions or separating-walls, as shown, and they may be made of any desired shape andare built of suitable material.

A common roof, It, preferably arch-shaped in cross-section, extends over the several chambers. At each end of such a series of workingchambers I build a furnace, A, and in each furnace arrange the usual grate-bars, a, at one end, so that they shall extend beneath, say, one-half, more or less, (preferably a little less,) of the horizontal area of the fire and coking chamber A', and make, a blank or close, or comparatively close, dead-floor, a, over or through the rest of such horizontal area. The object of this construction is to enable the tire or incandescent fuel to be temporarily pushed back from the grate-bars while the` latter are being cleared of clinkers or other obstructions, after which it can be again drawn forward onto the grate-bars, or, if preferred, he allowed to remain back on the close door a', Where, more fuel `being added, it may operate as a t coking-iire, assuming that a carbon aceous gasproducing fueLis being employed. The tire and coking chamber A is extended vertically upward, so as to form a reverberatory gascombustion chamber, A2, surmounted by an arch, a2, which chamber A2 is above the horizontal level of the tlues or passages'which lead from' the lire-chamber to the spacefbeneath the roof and over the working-chambers. The combustible gases evolved from the-fuel beneath pass up and circulate beneath the arch a2 in the chamber A2; but in order to insure and perfect their combustion so far as possible before. they leave this chamber, I' provide for supplying heated oxygen, either in the form of air or steam, to the gases, while in this chamber, andat a level above their level` of exit. Tothisend, assuming air.to be employed# connect a pipe, P, ofsuitable t capacity, with any suitable blower or blast apparatus, and from such pipe carry a pipe, 19,to afue, c, in the; end wall of the fire-chamber, Figs. 1 and 4., vwhich flue follows a zigzag course back and forth insuch end wall any desired number of IOO times, with reference to the heating of the air therein to any desired temperature. The uppermost ue, c', of this series is a little above the level of the passages which lead over to the Working-chambers, as illustrated in Fig. 1, and from it a series of jet-holes, s, open into the elevated reverberatory chamber A2, so as to discharge heated jets of air therein, above the level of the line of draft therefrom.

'lphe arch a2 will take and retain a high temperature, and the eddies formed therein and the line of draft resulting` from the several forces which act on the gases are such that much of the otherwise unconsumed gases are drawn up into this chamber, and are converted into heat and iiame before escaping therefrom;

but as some of the gases given off by thefnel will be likely to follow the direct route from the fire to the space above the working-chambers, I provide for the combustion of such while passing over the bridge-wall b.. To this end I divide up the throat immediately above the bridge-wall by a series of pillars, b', more ,fully shown in Fig.3, but with sufficient spaces b2 between for the iiow of the heat and llame from the heat-generating apparatus.' Also, to supply heated oxygen at these points, I carry a branch pipe, p', from the main pipe l? to a ue, e, in the bridge-Wall, and carry this flue back and forth in the bridge-wall, Fig. 3, such number of times as may be necessary in order properly to heat the air, and the top flue, e',

yof this series opens directly between thc'pillars by into the line-spaces b2, so that. the heated air, so introduced, shall be intimately intermixed with the unconsumed gases passing over; but in order to still further subdivide these air-jets, Iprefer to laya brick, s', lengthwise across the middle of each air-escape port, so that the air will escape through narrow slitshaped openings s2 into the passages b2; but

as considerable air may be required at thesepoints, I provide another supply-flue, i, Figs. l and 4, which takes its supply from a branch,

p2, and passes through the end wall, thence across by the rear wall,and joins the. ilue e, as

at t', Fig., 3.

By the arrangement of ues thus described t Isecure a large and long heating-surface, and

ain.abundant supply of air subdivided in jets at the, points where it will do the most good 5 but'.f as already suggested, the pipe P or one or more of the branches p p p2 may be connected with a steam-generator, so as to supply steam instead of air or steam mixed with air at the jet holesA or openings, or steam at some and air at others.` And it should be noted that the pillars b, by becoming highly heated, like the arch a2, facilitate the. combustion of the smoke and gases aszthey pass the bridge-wall, as well as. confmethe flow of such smoke and gases to paths directly over, as near as may be, the jetfopenings s2.A

Astack or chimney for carrying off the waste products of combustion is represented at S, about midway between the ends of the compound furnace. Two currents of heat and flame,

one from each end fre-ch amber, meet at or over the middle of the series of workin g-chamb'ers, 'and in order that the heat shall act with like uniformity on the contents of the middle tank as on the contents of the others, I provide two lines, a u', Fig. 2, one, n, opening from the rear at or just beneath the spring of the arch, and the other, n', rising from at or a little above the same point in the front and passing over the roof, as shown. As a result of this the current or flow of heat and flame will be divided V or distributed over the central working-chamber, B', so as to secure in it equally good results as in the end ones.

It is a feature of some importance that I am enabled to control the heat or the generation of heat so perfectly as to adapt the apparatus to the varying temperatures required in glass melting and workin g.

By a slide or other suitable form of damper or valve, n2, in the ue a and like devices in the pipesy p p p2, as illustrated at o, I can brighten up a low fire to a great intensity al- `rnostinstantly, andgraduate it down. with equal ease and certainty.

Other appliances and fittings, such as are usual or necessary in connection with furnaces of this class, are to be employed, and in particular I provide for each working-chamber a test-hole, z, closed by a slide or door, z', Figs. 1 and 2, which hole extends down in a slanting direction, so that a rod may be inserted therein and into the glass in the tank foi` the purpose of ascertaining or testing its condition. Also, to prevent the unpleasant escape of waste gases through the workin g-hole when the damper n2 is closed, so as to deaden down the heat, I provide a vertical draft-tine, u, Fig. 2, immediately through the -wall over each working-hole.

described may be advantageously used in other forms or styles of furnaces with substantially a like operation, and all suchV uses I include y herein as of my invention, and more especially is this true of the heat-generating apparatus shown and described.

This apparatus may be advantageously used as a part of a metallurgie furnace, wherein an yopen-topped closesided working-chamber is employed as a receptacle for the material to be fheated, melted, or treated 5. and in the apparatus as applied toy glassfmakiug, the several working-chambers may all be charged with batch77 simultaneously, and all worked out-simultaneously; ybut the better plan is to charge `and work them in succession, one or more charges undergoing' the melting operation While the other previously/melted charges are being worked.

Also, as regards the use of two separate heatgeneratorsdisehargin g simultaneously currentsl of heat and llame toward each other and over a working chamber or chambers, I

i working-chambers, since advantageousresults may be secured with only one working-cham i do not limit myself to any specificnumber of IOO IOS

Some of the features of construction herein IIO IIS

IZO

ber and a furnace of the class described at each side or end of it 5 and by a heat-generatin g l struction and operation, not only a 1re,butv

also a gas-combustion chamber outside the direct line of ow of the products of combustion as they would ordinarily go from the re to the Working-chamber flues.

I claim herein as my inventionl 1. A pair of heat-generators, each embracing in its construction a gas-combustion chamber outside the direct line ofdraft from the re to the working-chamber fines, in combination with an interposed Working-chamber or Workin g-chambers, suitable for containing batch or other material to be heated, melted, or treated, and heat conduits or passages leading from such heat-generators toward eachother over such Working chamber or chambers, substantially as set forth.

2. In combination with a series of two or more open-topped close-sided working-chamimmediately over the lire and coking chamber A', Without any intervening partition, havingan arched roof and lying above the level of the passages leading thence to the Working-chamber, substantially as set forth.

5. In combination with combustion -chamber A2, lying above the level of the passages leading therefrom, a system ofues, c c', in the Wall ofthe lire and cokin g chamber, and a series of jet-holes, s, opening into the chamber A2 at a level above that otl the exit ues or passages, substantially as set forth..

6. In combination with end heat-generators, intermediate Working-chambers, and communicatin g passages, a front and rear escape-flue, n a', substantially as set forth.

7. The combination of two end heat-generators, a series of two or more intermediate Working-chambers subject to heat from the generators, a system ofpipes for suppl yin goxygen to the combustion-chambers and bridge- Wall throats, anda system of dampers or valves for controlling the oxygen supply through the pipes p ppzand the escape through the Wasteflue n', substantially as set forth. l

8. The slanting test-hole z in the Wall of a tank glass-melting furnace, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof Ihave hereunto set my hand.

THOMAS B. ATTERBURY. l

Witnesses:

` R. H. WHITTLESEY,

C. L. PARKER. 

